


Bottom of the Pit

by dripdrop_dead



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Broken Bones, Daemons, First work - Freeform, Gen, Happy Ending, I think there will be a happy ending at least, M/M, Made-up daemon, Other, Vomiting, You Decide, are they very good friends or gay?, you can see the relationships as either platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-03-11 20:47:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13532250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dripdrop_dead/pseuds/dripdrop_dead
Summary: Even if Prompto would like to think that the Zu would be an easy fight, or he certainly hoped for it to be, the way to its lair seemed to prove him more different the longer they proceeded. They were all tired, the air was thick and hard to breath and then the climbing. Take three steps forward and then slide down two. It was infuriating.Seven, eight, nine steps, and a simple loose rock made Prompto lose his footing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, yes. This is my very first fanfic and I started writing it over a year ago. 
> 
> If anyone reads this: First of all, thank you so much! And second of all, please do read all the (upcoming?) chapters. It gets better (the writing does at least, in my opinion).
> 
> Hope you read and enjoy!
> 
> Also, if you discover a misspelling or just want to critique me, please do! (nicely, im fragile) 
> 
> And thank you to Nine! My best friend, far more experienced writer and beta reader. You've done a lot for me and for that I am extremley grateful. you butchered my first draft with improvments, thank you thank you
> 
> (this story came to be because of my own frustration over the fact that climbing that damn moutain was hell. and because of the angst of course. why can't i ever be nice to characters.)

The hunt would be simple enough. Just defeat the giant bird in the middle of the active volcano. Got it. Shouldn't be too much of a problem, should it? They're gonna be fine, right?

As they made their way up the steep mountain wall they all tried to stay optimistic. Even though they needed the money as someone a little earlier that day had hit the Regalia with their own car and just darted off, it all had started to seem a little..."Not worth it". Having the ledge threateningly right next to them, leading down to certain death just put them all further on edge. Prompto let out yet another heavy sigh and contemplated complaining over his sore legs for the fifth time, but seeing the pained expressions of everyone else made him reconsider.

The smoke that before had been seen in the distant horizon now filled Prompto’s lungs as he once again saw Noctis slide down past him. “Goddammit!” Noctis winced as he landed on a big rock further down the hill.

Even if Prompto would like to think that the Zu would be an easy fight, or he certainly hoped for it to be, the way to its lair seemed to prove him more different the longer they proceeded. They were all tired, the air was thick and hard to breath and then the climbing. Take three steps forward and then slide down two. It was infuriating.

"You okay there, Noct?” he asked, turned around and grabbed hold of a rock that stuck out of the mountain wall to steady himself. Noctis simply yelled out in frustration in reply and started to re-climb the rocky hill, payed the others no mind. The other two who also had stopped to check on Noctis started again as he did. Prompto made a sound that could be categorized as an angry one as he looked up the hill once again. Sighed even louder this time, cursing it and with the sun starting to set behind them; he heaved himself up a bit further and went on with his climbing.

The afternoon sun lit up the black rocks ahead of them and Prompto couldn't deny that it looked beautiful. The view of Eos as Noctis passed him made his fingers itch. He wanted to take a photo, to capture it all with his camera. But then, he feared he would drop it and did not.

With everyone again in front of him he mentally counted his steps in a try to focus on something else than his acing legs. One, two, three steps. And there Noctis came sliding down again.

“How’s it going, Prince?” This time Gladiolus had stopped and stretched out his hand for Noctis to grab before sliding down too far. He gained a glare from Noctis as he pulled him up again but also a humble mumble of thanks.

They had been climbing for what felt like hours and the ever-present heat that slowly but steadily increased didn’t exactly make their march nicer. Prompto had started to count his steps again as Noctis without warning stopped in his tracks and loudly explained, loud enough for everyone to hear and with an obvious mocking tone to his voice: "We heard your first fifteen sighs Prompto, don't gift us with fiftheen more." An awkward attempt to lighten up the mood. It just sounded stiff. Noctis gave his friend a jesting smile slightly oblivious to the fact that his attempt at laughter wasn't one of his brightest ones. Prompto let out a somewhat genuine laugh not even having realized that he had sighed loud enough for the others to hear again. Seeing the opportunity though, he joined in at Noctis' friendly bickering mood.

"Says the one who just screamed at nothing because he keeps sliding down when no one's there to hold his hand."

Noctis scoffed jokingly at his friend's comeback as he turned his back to him to continue on his way upward the mountain. Not admitting watching his steps somewhat more now. "This hunt is shit, so I would say that we all are internally screaming." Noctis said, still with his back turned towards Prompto.

Ignis, who had been quiet for most of the climb, joined in on the conversation, "Now, now, we all know very well that we need the money, even if these circumstances aren’t exactly to any of our liking..." he paused shortly to push his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.

"I just hope we find a place to sleep soon." Noctis added with a well-timed yawn. He glanced back at Ignis who nodded in agreement and turned back to the placement of his feet as the conversation settled down. It became quiet again.

Prompto's counting began anew with the setting sun illuminating the rocky road ahead of them, the threat of deamons growing with the descending sun. The ground did somewhat level out time to time, but that didn't change the fact that he almost couldn't feel his legs anymore. _Great_. A worrying feeling started to grow inside of him, the upcoming fight seemed more impossible by every second passing. The sun had almost bid them farewell, prepared to be replaced by the moon who gladly would welcome the creatures of the night. He couldn't avoid sighing another time before beginning to word his worries to his friends: "Hey, guys" he said catching their attention, fastening his pace a bit, "Do you think we’ll be–"

Seven, eight, nine steps, and a simple loose rock made Prompto lose his footing.

Without warning, his body moved and tilted in a direction he was not facing before. The fatigue after almost an entire day’s worth of traveling and climbing made his reaction time much slower than usual, but out of instinct his arms tried to grab something, anything, as he felt the rocks beneath his feet not keeping still but increasing in movement. He felt the gravel cut into his bare arms, as he sufficiently persisted to reach out and grab after nothing.

Air. Empty air.

Loud voices coming from his friends ahead of him yelled his name; the panic froze his body as he realized that there was no chance for him to make it. His lungs cried out a scream in desperation as his feet lost all contact with any possible footing. Feeling the air beating around him, but offering no support he was only left with the sensation of himself falling.

Everything in Prompto's field of vision blended together into a murky mess as he fell, the dim orange shine from the sun which had accompanied them before had now switched place with mixes of blacks and grays. His slit arms flailed senselessly around him and time seemed to move in slow motions as the fear filled every inch of his pale body.

_What the hell was he supposed to do?_

His breath forcibly went out of him as he felt something that wasn’t supposed to crack and then break, something that left Prompto with a burning pain in his left arm. His continued attempts to find mere footing as he tumbled down the mountainside that had yet to become flat, just gifted him with more cuts and bruises he knew would ache weeks after. The loose rocks gave his feet nor his hands any kind of support but instead just fueled his horror as they fell down with him.

Prompto hit the ground far below and his body mercilessly bounced up and down on the cold, hard terrain before settling down. Once more the reassurance of air had left his lungs and he cried out as his already broken arm positioned itself beneath him. The slow realization of how his head had made contact with the bedrock, with a much bigger force than he himself and his consciousness would've liked, soon made him nauseas. Prompto felt his insides twist and turn but he managed, although barley, to not lose the small and almost non-existent meal residing in his stomach.

He slowly opened his eyes with a groan which to his dismay both were tinted in a putrid red that made his vision blurred. He was not sure if he had blacked out or not, but the darkness around him made some indication to just that.

The progress of removing his arm and getting it upright was slow and excruciating, every wrong step had pain seer trough his whole arm leaving him gasping for more air to fill his lungs with. The descent and then the impact had taken a toll on his body that made every limb hurt in some kind of way. One far more than the other. He intended to lift his arm to his face to remove some of the red from his eyes before sitting up, but he stopped by regret and the pain which once again doubled. _Right, broken arm_.

Having learnt from his mistake he instead took his somewhat working right arm, cursed himself for causing pain which could've been avoided, as he wiped the blood away. It was hard to think and his brain felt scrambled in its home, a thudding throb in his head accompanied him as he noted that his vision still was blurred after removing the blood but slowly getting regained. Prompto now sat upright, leaning against what he thought seemed like the mountain wall. The night around him made it hard to tell. He noted some possibly broken ribs as he slowly breathed in and out, a pain like jabbing needles greeting him in his rib cage with every breath.

"Very big needles." He said to no one in particular, producing a raspy and quiet tone as a try to reassure and ground himself, even if it was in vain. He would've laughed after hearing it, his voice sounded nothing like usual, if it wasn't for the present pit of fear in his stomach.

He was still panicked; not knowing where he was on top of being out in the dark was nerve wrecking to say the least. The big dark rocks that surrounded him was no longer lit up in the sunlight as they were before, when he still was with his friends. No, these once loomed over him as mighty as they were, giving of a feeling that they could fall over any second and crush the little life that was left in him. He felt watched. The sound of his phone ringing in his pocket and the low growl of daemons closing in fell deaf to his ears.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some insight on Noctis and the others.
> 
> (this took so long to write, and hopefully they're not too out of character.)

Noctis paced back and forth in a nervous frantic, unable to stop his thoughts from going from bad to worse scenarios left him incapable of standing still. They all were still in shock, the whole situation seemed surreal. This was not supposed to happen, it never did on a hunt. But the ghost of Prompto's scream still lingered in his head, both reminding him of the reality and mocking him for failing at something as simple as keeping his friend safe.

  
With the stars and moon high in the night sky over them; their worry and dread grew with every missed phone call. Ignis once more lowered his phone with a dismayed look on his face, sharing a glance with the others he looked apologetic. They had stopped in their tracks once more to dial a call which went forward and not straight to voicemail. They knew his phone wasn't broken to pieces, but only knowing the state of Prompto's phone had done nothing to cease the heavy atmosphere in the air. They all three blamed themselves.

  
"Call him again." It was Noctis who broke the silence, not with a question but a demand. Gladiolus breathed out audibly, something that could've been comprehended as a start to a disagreement, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead Ignis was the one to speak.

  
"There will be no point in calling him without stop, Noct. If he isn’t picking up now--" Noctis stared blankly at his advisor, stopping his words. Eyes filled with despair had met his. Gladiolus picked up where Ignis left of though, made Noctis turn towards him instead.

  
"If he doesn't pick up now, the possibility is big that he is unconscious and unable to answer, right?"  
Noctis stood still wearing a guilty expression. He didn't want to meet their eyes, the light of the moon lit up every ounce of their expressions; the fear of Prompto being alone, hurt at the hand of the daemons, and being unconscious on top of that twisted them into pure worry which he could not manage to see.

  
He was the closest to Prompto when the sound of rocks sliding down and then the panicked scream had resonated in the air. He had been far too late, or too slow to react to be able to grab hold of him. Maybe he too would have fallen if he had caught Prompto but still the guilt gnawed away at Noctis, left him with ice cold veins and a difficulty to breath. He put the fault of both his lost friend, and his present's fates on himself.

  
"Then what do you think we should do?" He tried to sound reasonable when he finally looked up at Gladiolus, but his voice came out a lot harsher than he had wanted it to.

  
"First of all, you need to get your shit together." Gladiolus answered with the point of a finger, he had contained his calm this far but now he stood firm with his eyes locked on Noctis. Obviously not so calm anymore. Noctis stood flabbergasted for a few seconds, even Ignis seemed surprised by the sudden change of tone. The silence that had followed, only accompanied by the breeze of the night, then got broken by a mere "Excuse me?" from a confused Noctis. Gladiolus retracted his hand and put it back down by his side before he suddenly explained:

  
"No, no 'excuse you.' We are just as worried as you are." His voice came out with an angry and loud force, something which could've easily concealed his good intentions if you didn't know him. "But your constant moving and panic is driving me insane, calm down and get your feet on the ground!" 

"Are you serious?"

  
Noctis snarled back at his shield out of shock and anger. He looked outright offended as he stood, now with all of his attention forward, waiting for an answer. Gladiolus walked a few steps closer to Noctis, skidded over the rocks before he took advances of his intimidating height, leaned in and looked down on the shorter man.

  
"Oh, I'm dead serious. Panic won't help anything, and we all are having a handful of that right now." He nodded over to Ignis and then pointed to himself to clarify his point before he continued. "But it's clearly clouding your better judgment, so calm down, or at least try to would'ya?"

  
Noctis did not vocally answer to what had just been said, but instead turned his eyes away from the two as he entered a state of muteness. Gladiolus groaned as Noctis refused to look at them. He knew that they probably wouldn't get an answer out of him as he did not even turn his head when Ignis stepped in to voice his opinion. He ignored them both.

  
"I must agree with Gladiolus. We are not gonna be able to help Prompto if we let this get to our heads." A triumphant sound which hastily died down escaped Gladiolus lips as Ignis agreed with him, who now stood by his side staring at him in exchange.

  
They tried to make contact with Noctis. They talked about how this was the most logical thing to do and added how horrible they all felt. Losing a member of their group was not unexpected to take a big toll on them all, but the harsh reality needed to be accepted and then solved. But awhile, they gained nothing from Noctis as he still stood silent.

  
"So," Gladiolus then instead said, putting a stop to the meaningless reasoning. He had no intentions to keep the one-sided conversation going. "We should find a haven. Collect our thoughts." An agreement once again rose from the other, and deep down Noctis too knew that this was their smartest move, to stop and come up with a plan. But he also knew that this was not open for discussion, and in his panic and urgency of finding Prompto. To fix his stupid mistakes. That thought pissed him off.

  
"How the hell am I supposed to stay calm in a situation like this?!" Noctis bellowed out as he clenched his fists, his nails dug into his palms. The sudden outburst from Noctis had the other two shocked to silence and their conversation ended abruptly. Gladiolus frowned expression returned, and he got stopped by an outstretched arm when he tried to move towards Noctis. The arm belonged to Ignis who now glared up at Gladiolus, successfully putting the man to a stop.

  
Gladiolus crossed his arms with a grunt but remained silent.

  
"We all know very well what you are feeling right now." Ignis then said as he put down his arm. "But this is not a matter of 'being able to', but rather to try." Ignis tried to stay unfazed by it all, albeit failing as anyone could hear the strain in his voice.

  
Noctis turned, he felt bad about having lashed out on the other two but it was either that, or punching one of the seemingly mocking stonewalls around them. Although, the second option became more tempting with every second passing.

  
"We need to do something." Noctis then breathed out. He locked his gaze on the other two as his voice slightly failed him, the raw emotion of it all nearly had him on his knees.

  
In this moment Gladiolus started to move himself towards Noctis. Ignis thought of stopping him again but decided not to as when Gladiolus reached his destination, now standing right in front of the other, he simply just put a light hand on Noctis' shoulder.

  
"And we are going to do something". When those words were spoken an unexpectedly calm voice filled the night. Gladiolus now stood with his hand on Noctis' shoulder, looking down at him. He was not going to back down. "We're not leaving him behind, Noct".

  
They way Noctis' widened his eyes could be read as pure surprise, but rather he was thankful. Somehow he found a small bit of reassurance in the hand placed on his shoulder. The anger still lingered in his stomach, ready to bubble up to the surface any second as it threatened both himself and the others. But he wouldn't think of it, for now. Noctis slowly unclenched his fists as he at last properly looked at his friend in front of him.

  
"And I will make sure to call Prompto from time to time as we make our way forward" Ignis now stood by Noctis. "For prevention purposes. If we were to see that he suddenly picked up".

  
Gladiolus hand left its spot and Noctis clapped his together, indicated that he was ready to go. He voiced a quite "thank you" and as he did he gained a small smile from Ignis before the other man started walking forward on the path once again. Noctis smeared the blood his nails had drawn on his pants before he too, started walking. They were going to save Prompto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're going back to Prompto.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back again.

As the sound grew stronger so did Prompto's senses. The image of daemons surrounding him immediately came into focus as soon as he noticed them, far too close for comfort. He swore quietly to himself and tried to stand up, but even with the support of the rough wall behind him he simply fell back to the ground, back to the demise of the daemons. The pain shot trough his chest as he lumped back together on the ground and a sad, pitiful sound escaped his mouth.

The sabertusk let out low growls in union, a warning of the attack to come, as they slowly paced closer. Prompto's gaze shot up again and he tried to dismiss the pain. He realized that he had no way of running, his tethered body wouldn't let him and neither so would the daemons. With a deep and shaky breath he called out for his gun, reached out with a muddy mind and awaited the shards of the crystal and the weight of the weapon in his hand. But the light which had covered his view of the daemons disappeared as quickly as it came and instead of the reassurance of his gun, the pain in his head increased. Prompto screamed as a tremendous pain filled his head, it dug into every inch of his skull and once again blurred his vision. The sudden act sent off the daemon in the front and out of mere instinct he jumped to the side. A thump which only could be recognized as the daemon hitting the wall behind him connected with his ears and again he felt watched. The pain in his head disappeared as quickly as it came.

Adrenaline filled Prompto's every limb as the next daemon attacked, his defense was slack and uncoordinated. He had no plan, and with one arm broken, with the rest of his body battered, he didn't have a single clue on how to defeat his enemies. He didn't dare to try to summon his gun again, afraid that the pain in his head would once again appear. The panic rose and he noticed how rapid his breath had become, but the daemons didn't spare him a minute to catch his breath, not to his surprise.

The daemons took turns to attack, which in Prompto's mind only felt like a way of taunting him. Their teeth dripped with drool and as they slowly slid over the black rocks, his energy to move gradually left his body. He was cornered and an escape was out of the question, he thought, why they wouldn't just end him was beyond him. Without any weapon to defend himself with, there was only one outcome.

Nevertheless he jumped to the side once again — not ready to die — away from an attack, but lose rocks gave away and in the next moment he was on the ground. Fear struck him as the fatigue in his legs wouldn't let him rise, his limbs felt like a rag dolls lose ends which the puppeteer had no control over; he stayed down. He subconsciously braced himself for impact but still he desperately tried to crawl onto his feet again, failing. With his heart in his throat and with the taste of blood in his mouth Prompto cried out, his broken armed limped sadly and the pain returned as his mind no longer were able to shut it out.

But when the blow which he thought to be his demise never came, he twisted and turned, aimed his head towards his imagined reapers once more. They stared, ugly bulging eyes met his and he quietly swallowed a gulp in his trout, feared that a simply sound would set them off again. But they did nothing, not even when he let out a small, distasteful whimper.

It was weird, a throb in his head accompanied him as he studied the daemons. They seemingly did the same back at him, faces filled with rage and contempt, every muscle tense and ready to strike. But still they stood their ground. Unmoving. He had never seen them act this way; as if there every move was planned and deeply thought trough one second, and in the next they were frozen stiff. The feeling of being watched again creeped up on him, it suddenly covered his neck in cold sweat and he grabbed at the stones beneath him in response. It all felt like a game.

And the daemons were on the winning side.

Prompto's hand then slid over a rock that felt much bigger than the smaller ones, he stopped breathing for a second as his mind worked its creaky gears and an idea surfaced. He let his eyes run over the daemons one more time and he gripped the stone with his working hand. Hard, it made his knuckles go white. Then he carefully and slowly tried to call out for his gun once more, vigorously ignoring the protests starting in his head. It was a stupid one, but it was an idea.

The crystal shards lit up his surroundings, sparkling like tiny broken stars they threaded light over the ground and then the walls. Broken stones and shifts in the ground were made clear in the light and even if the only source were the tiny shards and it only lasted seconds; the daemons noticeably winced. Just as he had expected then the headache came. It was just as intense as the first one but at moments notice Prompto dismissed his weapon and charged at the now dazed sabretusk. He barley stopped himself from hurling at the sudden moment; the image of his intestines falling out from his mouth and then splashing to the ground in a pile had carved itself into his mind — caused him to swallowed the bile.

Rock made contact with the first daemon, a sickening cracking sound filled the air and Prompto tried to not pay mind to the warm blood that now covered his hand. It fell to the ground, limp and without a sound it had simply staggered a few steps back to then fall over. With his breath high and hasty he quickly viewed his kill — its cranium was wide open and instead a gaping hole into the brain mass greeted him shortly. He turned his head back to the other enemies, his distraction would only work for so long; so the next swing came down fast and just as hard as the one before it. But the blood made the rock slippery and instead of its head it hit the neck, but the sharp ends of the rock slit it open. Killing it too. He then lost his grip of the rock and it hit the ground the same time as the second daemon.

The rock skid over the ground, left Prompto without a weapon once more. He followed the blood soaked rock with his eyes in panic and swore loudly when a third daemon suddenly came running at him. Mere reflex delivered the punch just right between its eyes, and just as the daemon he stumbled backwards a few meters. His knuckles tingled and burned, he could tell without looking that he had drawn blood; the skin was open, it had ripped on the hard skin of the sabretusk'a face.

He wasn't sure if the punch had hurt him more than it had hurt the daemon.

He felt blood dripping into his palm and then to the black ground; dizziness and nausea accompanied him as he stepped a few steps forward, recovered his footing. He could feel his own mind muddle over, the nausea stuck in his throat as he let his eyes cover the grounds.

Two sabretusk were left in front of him, the one he punched seemingly more out of focus than the other, it stumbled on a few rocks as it walked. An easy kill if he would've had a weapon. And another two lay in their own filth on the ground. Both breathed audibly, in and out, and every breath filled him with more fear. He knew he had to run.

But something stopped him. It was not the constant throb in the back of his mind or his uncooperative body. Neither the dussin stinging cuts or his broken ribs and arm. It was a feeling of being watched that shook him to his very core.

But still, he leaped forwards.

As he did, the two daemons unfreezed and took off towards him. A new dose of adrenaline filled every inch of his body and despite his chest hurting with every intake of air, despite having to hold onto his broken arm as he ran, he kept going. He jumped over the sabretusk bodies laying on the ground, tripped slightly on his own feet when landing. He ran alongside the mountain wall, tried to find a way of escape. The sound of clawed feet emitted behind him and he doesn't dare to look back. That's when he sees it, a small opening to his right. A hole not much bigger than himself.

He barley manages to register it just before he turns, shifts his body to be able to squish through the wound in the black, black moutain wall. Claws run past him as he falls to the ground and Prompto begs that they wouldn't turn back. That he could fool the things with his hiding spot. To whoever that was listening, he cried out under his breath. He could hear them slow down their pace, now walking in circles if he listened closely. His heart thudded hard against his ribs; he thought that dull pain shot through him with every beat, even feared that the daemons would hear it. They were quiet, but despite that fact he was scared.

Darkness loomed above him and threated his eyes to close. Fearing that he would lose consciousness if he stayed still, he dared to look outside with a deep breath and was met by the sight of nothing. Although confused, Prompto studied his surroundings probably for the first time; splashes and poodles of blood lay around the open area, from both him and the daemons. Bodies. He glanced around the dark evironment, noticed sharp rocks by the mountain wall that he was glad hadn't been his demise, tracks of his own blood just a few metres away rather indicated the end of his fall.

Prompto laughed to himself in despair ever so quiet, grabbed hold of his hair with his working arm. Dried blood stopped him from pulling his fingers through it as he looked on. He had to move on. Go further into the cave, if that was what it was, find some kind of escape. Something reflected in the light of the night then, more so than the gore. He quickly dropped his hand and sat upright, small rocks on the ground moved with him and he squinted with tired eyes.

_Shit._

_Shit, shit, shit_.

On the ground further away his camera lay. It's silver details shone and shifted as he looked back an forth. His precious camera. His stomach sliglty sunk as he realized that he must've dropped it in the fall. Maybe in the pathetic exscuse of a fight. His drained mind barley gave him the chance to think as he kept looking around. H _e couldn't leave it_. He glanced to his right, further away from the thin opening. It was pure black, but even then, he thought to see some kind of light. _But, he couldn't leave it_. Prompto whined lowly as he turned his head around, clenched his fists around some loose rocks. He loved that camera. Correction. He loved the memories it contained. He only needed to save the memory card, sadly he thought that nothing else was whole. He debated with his own mind, glanced towards the weak light besides him once more. It was still quiet, so very quiet. He could only hear his own raspy breath as it echoed against the walls, and he ignored the constant feeling of dread once more. He needed those memories.

As his mind reached that conclusion he rose from the ground. He held his broken arm with a tight grip of his hand in a try to stop it from moving, turned his body to once more squish through the thin hole that was much like a wound in the mountain wall. _So stupid_. When outside, he walked fowards with slow and small steps, only accompanied by the moon and stars. For that he wished, at the very least. Prompto kept his line of sight upwards for a short while.

The high mountains that surrounded him made the place look and feel like some kind of inclosure, a hole that he couldn't flee. As he stared at the sky which looked on with its inhabitats and an yellow hue, anxiety crept upon him. At this, he quickly shifted his eyes to his camera, he gently pressed his own arm in a way of reassurance while it glinted and guided him fowards. He couldn't let his mind run, not now. Albeit the feeling of being watched still managed to squirm its hold of him to his displeasure, like a poisonous snake. He tried to think of all his photos instead. The photos of his friends, of beautiful red sunsets, animals they had seen on their road. There was still a long way to go and as he snuck across Prompto thought of all the photos of Noctis and him. He dared to move just a little faster, despite the snake that crawled tighter and tighter around him.

He had almost reached it when a low sound connected with his ear, like a wheeze from a clogged throat and he turned around. He was then met by a hideous sight, black goo dripped and oozed from the sabertusk that stood in front of him. A vile stench filled the air and the snake almost choked Prompto's to death as he was only able to watch as the black sabertusk moved fowards. Can't move. Its two huge claws were dragged alongside the ground, created a loud and menacing sound. Prompto desperately wondered how he hadn't noticed it, why he hadn't heard it approaching him.

He cried out as it started to growl at him, orange eyes stared back into frighten ones. He soon understood that this was the source of the dreadful feeling, that this thing was what had watched him until now. The daemon left black marks after it as it walked, slowly closing in, its legs seemed to turn into black smoke at its edges. Prompto hugged his broken arm until it hurt, his headache increased with the daemon's every step. It jumped, charged at him then and he finally moved. He turned around, ran towards his camera. The darkness of night seemed to mock him as it hid tripping hazards and he stumbled foward. The rythmic sound of claws behind him stopped for a second, he was able to notice it just before he tripped. Sharp peebles cut his knees as he slid foward, a whimper escaped as he lost his grip of his limp arm.

The camera then in his hand, broken and ugly just like everything else in the hellish hole. In the next moment, Prompto was barley able to register the feeling of something else connecting with him. He simply watched as the black sabertusk got hold of him, watched as the darkness resolved and exposed the precipice. As the darkness then took over himself as he fell downwards once more. Fell down into a dark pit.

And as he did, everything turned black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I don't know how you managed (although, I'm pretty sure no one has gotten this far).
> 
> If you would like to read more please do leave kudos, comment and so on. Just you reading this gives me the motivation to keep writing though.
> 
> I got the whole story planned out pretty much already, how long it will be: I don't know. If I'll keep writing? Yeah, pretty sure. This is, once again, my first ever fanfic, and I am admittedly nervous to post it. Started writing on the next chapter already, actually.
> 
> If you did enjoy this fic, I am writing another fic that's Noctis centered! Much happier with that one (that doesn't determine that it is in someone else's mind but still), got more experience now compared to when I started with this one. Angst again, of course. That's what I like. Will probably post it if this does good, or even if it doesn't. 
> 
> Hope you'll read the next chapter when it comes out. Thank you again :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! And thank you for reading this far.
> 
> I did not think that I would come back to this fic in a while because I got stuck. But well, I got a comment today so I decided to write a whole new chapter. Comments and kudos really do help haha
> 
> I hope you enjoy! I'm very happy with this chapter, for the moment at least. (it's not beta read, let's see if that's a bad thing)

Prompto cried out as he awoke once more, the sensation of his sore, open flesh in contact with the rock made him dizzy despite the darkness. He’s unable to open his left eye, what he thinks as iron blood has dried and glued it to his swollen cheek. With a low cry he stirred against the cold, hard ground; new cuts aggressively made their presence known. They burned as he tried to breath, and whilst, it felt like his lungs had shrunken. He took one raspy breath, then another and another. It felt like they expanded beyond their capacity with every new intake of air, felt like they would burst against his crumbled ribs at the next. He clenched and unclenched his jaw slowly as he tried to move some more. He thought, that he must've blacked out. He had no idea how far he had fallen, no idea where he was. 

A sudden explosion of pain at his abandonment put an end to his thoughts. It spread just as quickly as it was discovered, forced both his eyes open, a hoarse scream out of his mouth. He was met by the orange eyes of the black sabertusk, eyes glazed over with death as he clasped his hand over his mouth to muffle his scream. He blubbered out into them, in agony, as he noticed its jaws that were clenched around him, the teeth that had dug so deeply into his stomach. He felt the presence of every fang, and as he looked on he saw the blood that covered his black shirt.  _ Blood _ . Red and black. The stench made him want to puke.

He swore to himself, loudly as he removed his hand to keep his balance. He tried to place himself in an upright position, the dead sabertusk followed with. It must've gotten a hold of him just before. _ Had the fall killed it?  _ Prompto looked it over, bit his own tongue as it lay still, stuck in his own flesh. He bit harder, moved his shaking hand from the ground towards the jaws of the daemon and gripped its filthy head with it. His fingers slipped as he tried to open its jaw, wet with the blood from both him and the daemon.

He cried out once more as he lost his grip, tears pricked his eyes. He tried again.  _ Again, again, again _ . Dug his fingers into the gum in between the teeth and pulled. A repellent sound was heard as its jaws finally twisted open and Prompto wheezed as the pressure disappeared. Not able to hold it any longer as the sabertusk landed on the ground with a loud thud, he bent forward and puked. He retched as the thick, yellow liquid left his mouth, as it spread over the rocks in front of him and the tears fell freely. It stopped then and he covered his mouth with his hand again, coughed a few times, removed it shortly to spit beside the sabertusk that lay right by him. Trails of the horrid liquid stuck to his hand.

A thought of his camera then hit him and in the same moment, he looked around.

He dried his mouth with the back of his hand  and scanned the area, his other remained still. Broken rocks and blood were clear in front of him. The shimmer of the camera then too. He quickly crawled over the ground as soon as he noticed it, clenched his bleeding stomach whilst he did. The gravel that cut into his knees were niceties and he dismissed the small pricks of pain as he grabbed hold of his camera with his working hand. It was broken. So far from whole as it ever could be. The place of the lense lay empty and dark, shards of crystal glass beside him on the ground. He sat down on his legs, put the camera between them and vigorously fiddled with the dent latch. A click, a reassuring sound, as it open and the blue memory card became visible. He let go of a breath he did not know he had held and stopped his movement.

For a moment, he does nothing but look at the shell of his camera.  _ It's gone _ . For two others', he lets his tears fall as he got the card out of its home and into his hand, as he put the camera gently on the ground with the same.

He clenched his hand. The card's edges were pressed into his palm and he simply sat there, accompanied by only the warmth of his slowly, slowly spreading blood and the sound of his own sobs.

What was his plan?  _ He had no plan _ .

He could feel his conscious slip, the edges of everything had started to become even more dull, blurry, dark with every passing second. Because it was dark, wasn't it?

Was it not?

The sun rays stubbornly chased his eyelids and he couldn't stop himself from turning and glaring back at them. They peeked through what seemed to be a deep hole higher up and in front of him, a cut in the small cavern he had landed in. He studied it as he relaxed his hand to put the card into his vest's front pocket then he dried his tears with it. His eyelashes lay heavy against his cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut, as he tried to dry the rotten taste away from his lips to no avail. He stops to feel the cracked blood around his lips with his finger tips, to slowly follow its line upwards to his eye and a thicker, softer stain. He hissed as the layer left way to a cut above his brow, anew then as they furrowed and tensed the open wound.

“Shit.”

The simple word escaped his mouth as he retracted his hand and opened his eyes once more. He dismissed the new burning as he looked towards the sun, its reassuring light seemingly softer already and so far away. He shifted against the ground as he glared at the mocking, open hole, the sound emitted muffled by his own weakened hearing. Despite it, he twisted his head to the side at the low wheeze. His eyes towards the clogged throat and the up and down movement of the visible ribs.

The daemon lay awake, its eyes shifting in a sense of panic and urgency, the same as the tears in Prompto’s eyes as he quickly shifted further back. Away from the still alive sabretusk, away from the threat that dug deeply into his stomach. His back made contact with a unmoving wall, the momentum of his retreat filled his whole body with the flame of the teeth marks, of his arm and ribs.  _ How.  _ He turned around in his horror, tried to find another way of escape rather than the one behind the live menace.  _ How was it alive!?  _ Prompto thought as all the other walls displayed nothing but bare black. No dents, holes. No consolation. The familiar headache started anew.

Another dragged wheeze filled and echoed against the cave, forced him to look back at the dark, broken skin of the sabretusk. A pathetic yelp then as it started to move its feet, an act at the notice of Prompto’s presence and its murderous instinct. The claws shifted against the ground, the movement of its feet and legs increased in speed as he slowly leaned backwards. It lay still and he stared back at it, black foam appearing around its mouth as it failed to move anywhere.

It was almost sad. How its beady eyes, alike a sun in the darkness of the cave, shifted around as it realized its own inability. How its frantically moving limbs then slowed, the sound of the worn claws dispensing into nothing together with the wheeze. Its tongue lying limply on the rocky ground. It was  _ almost  _ sad, Prompto thought again as he crushed its head with a hard rock.

The sudden noise bounced against the walls, hit them and turned back towards the next wave of echoching thuds. The big rock tore the skin, cracked the skull and crushed the insides of the now fiery red head.

The tears started to fall again as Prompto brought the rock back down, as he swore the thing with every new hit of its cranium. Black smoke rose from the open hole, disappeared momentarily at every new blow to its source. Appeared, disappeared. Appeared, disappeared. A scream joined it then, alongside the thump and discard of the bloody assailant. The smoke sizzled and vanished.

Prompto’s throat lay hoarse as his scream stopped. The last tears fell to the ground and landed in one of the many puddles of blood, turned it pink at its edges. He dared to behold what he had done then as he stood on shaky legs. The body of the sabretusk had a head that resembled nothing of the like, it was flat, except of the scattered, bony, remeniants of the skull. He had to fight the urge to puke at the sight.

His vision danced as everything turned out to be too much. His legs struggled to support his very weight and his left arm ached harshly at the bent of it, the broken bones no longer keeping it together but the skin. The smell of something rotten filled the small cavern and he looked away from the body, the distinct smell of death and iron then filled his nose as a low buzz joined them.

It kept going as a rhythmic jingle and Prompto quickly shifted as he recognized the source. He managed to bring his phone forth from his sealed pocket, the zipper proved to be an obstacle for only one hand and it had redone the buzzing jingle. The screen had been crushed, to his unsurprise, cracks trailed the glass to its edges and almost hid the contact name “ _ Iggster _ ” beneath them. He had forgotten about his phone. The ten percent battery seemingly mocked him for his stupidity. He cursed himself, although, a small curve of his lips displayed itself as he answered the call. He wasn’t able to form any words as he brought it to his ear.

“ _ Prompto _ ?” The despair in the questioning voice on the other end of the call forced a shuddered breath out of him. A gasp then heard as it traveled across. “Prompto, is that you?” Another question and a sense of urgency was now present in Ignis’ tone. Prompto nodded into the metal piece, corrected himself then with a low “ _ Yeah _ ”.

Something that resembled a released breath of air filled his ear as he added: “It’s me.”

Even the few of two words stung his throat as he spoke them, but he could not help but laugh in joy at the “ _ Thank the Astrals _ ” that came next. Shuffling on the other side interrupted what Ignis’ wanted to say thereafter, a sound of disapproval as the the line then went quiet.

It remained, and Prompto’s legs threatened to fold.

“Prompto?” Noctis’ voice transmitted through the phone after the pause, worry so clear in only that.

A smile displayed itself again. “It’s nice to hear your voice.” Prompto answered. He tried to force his own back to normal as he said it. He did not manage well.

“So is yours.” A weak laugh. He could hear the shuffling once more, the grip of Ignis’ phone getting fixed and hardened. “Where are you?” Noctis then asked. The emphasis of his whereabouts clear to even Prompto’s muddled mind.

“I’m not sure.” He glanced around the cavern, the small environment now even closer to being claustrophobic. He remained from looking at the body and the crushed head. “Further down?” He added.  

There’s a pause, then a hitch of a breath.

“I’m sorry.” Noctis’ said, the tears could be heard in the presence of his voice. “I’m really sorry.”

Prompto lifted his eyebrows, a jab of pain at his forgotten brow forced them down again. “Wait, wait. What are you apologizing for?” He tried to laugh to lighten the mood, but it only came out as stiff with his worn throat. He took a breath then at Noctis’ low sniffle, breathed out before he added:

“This is not your fault, Noct.” He shifted on his legs, almost lost his balance whilst. “If any’s, it’s my own. I should’ve watched my feet.”

A soft scoff escaped the other. “Don’t say that. I could’ve prevented all of this.”

“Nah,” Prompto shook his head to himself. “You couldn’t have.”

There’s another pause.

“How are you?”

“Can’t feel or move my hand, I think. Otherwise good.” He left out some of it.

Noctis’ lets out a row of swears and then the shuffling sound is back again. Prompto noticed an incoherent dialogue being held and awaits Noctis’ return. The recognizable dip in the sound of the phone was heard then, the one that indicated the five percent mark.

“Guys.” He dragged the word out into the mic and just a few moment later Noctis’ back.

“Stay where you are.” He said, there’s a pause and a sound of a swallow. “We’ll come to you.”

Prompto immediately shaked his head at the demand. “ _ No _ ,” He started and Noctis echoed him questioningly. He turned his head towards his work; one simple look at the remnants of the black sabretusk made his whole body crawl, the vile stench wasn’t something you could get used to either. He turned away from it again.

“Bad idea.” He simply stated. “I think I’ll manage climbing down instead. I got a source of light that I can follow, okay?” He was able to hear Noctis’ starting meek protests, but continued.

“We’ll meet at the bottom of the mountain,” He paused. “I’ll manage.” He assured, it sounded forced. Noctis tried to find his words as he stood confused on the other side of the line.

The sound got cut out again and Noctis returned with his protests. “No,  _ that is _ a bad idea. You’re hurt and even though it’s light out now, who knows what could happen.” He said in a stern, but caring voice. “I don’t want you to get any more hurt because of  _ me _ .” His voice faltered at the last word and he kept going in the same manner.

Prompto’s gut twisted and turned at the worry in his friends frantic rambling, he managed to hear both Ignis and Gladiolus matching voices in the background too. But even then, he’s unable to stay in the cavern.

“Noct.” He tried, but they continue. He tapped the phone’s back with his fingers. “Noct, listen--” He tried again, but still no pause.

“ _ Noctis! _ ” It became quiet at his shout. It echoed. There’s a halt and Prompto took it as a indicator for him to speak. He swallowed just before, the rotten taste of the puke still stuck on his tongue.

“You better buy me a new camera when we meet again.” He said with a smile and Noctis started to question him, only to be cut off by the phone shutting down.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for reading! It's indescribable how grateful I am that you read my fanfics. 
> 
> If you would like to read more please do leave kudos, comment! and so on. Just you reading this gives me the motivation to keep writing though.
> 
> I wanted to use the line: "We'll meet at the bottom of the pit." Because hey! That's the name of this fic. But then I thought, that doesn't really make any sense so I had to remove it :(
> 
> And "Iggster" hahah, I liked that detail. If I can say so myself. Wanted Prompto to have named him something like: "Oh great Iggster", or something worse, but I did not.
> 
> If you're enjoying this, please do read my other fic "Black Smoke", it'll be great, got a whole reimagine of the game planned out in that one, and it updates more often than this one! Woho!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I am back again! 
> 
> First of all, thank you once more, so so much for reading my fic. I can't begin to describe how happy your kudos and comments makes me.
> 
> And I'm trying to update faster, but, right now I'm on my last few months of school and it is stressful. Got so much to do that I just end up shutting down and doing nothing haha (school is hell). Despite it, I'll try to update soon, and I'm sorry for the wait for this one :')
> 
> I hope you enjoy this! And I hope that you're still intrested!
> 
> Not beta read yet, hopefully will be soon by my amazing best friend.
> 
> And I'm nervous to post this.

“Prompto?” 

The vast line of smoke rose to the sky, only broken by the soft wind into trails of scattered grey. Noctis stood with his hand clenched around the phone, the hard grip aching at the contact with the metal and the small cuts in his palm. He could feel the eyes of the other two lay upon him as he breathed out, as he then called after Prompto once more.

Quiet. The blue fire waved in the next breeze and it remained quiet.

Noctis brought Ignis’ phone down, held onto it with both hands as he was met by the home screen. He quickly returned to the calls with a hard press of his thumb, lines of names flashed the screen and he dialed the latest number to “ _ Prompto Argentum _ ”. He ignored Ignis and Gladiolus as they questioned him, whilst the emoticon added in a kind afterthought besides Prompto’s contact name seemed to etch itself into his mind as he brought the phone to his ear.

The happy tone of his friend’s voicemail only gained a row of different swear words from him. A low chant then as he did it over again, dialed the number to the mocking emoticon.

I went straight to voicemail and with a swift motion of his hand Noctis brought the phone downwards.

“ _ Fuck _ !” His hand and the phone hit his leg forcefully and both Ignis and Gladiolus stood shocked at his exclamation.

“What is it?” Gladiolus asked, seeing the earlier relief and panic on Noctis’ features crumbled down only to the latter once more. “Noct?”

“His phone is dead.” Noctis stated, returned Ignis’ to him and then pulled his hands through dark locks at the word of gratitude. Gladiolus did the same as Noctis as he stand besides Ignis.

Ignis put it away and stepped back slightly, looked at the other with an almost imperceptible raise of a lonely eyebrow. “Noctis?” He started. “Do you know of his whereabouts?”

He simple shook his head in response. “No, I don’t.” Noctis let out a yell then and it echoed shortly against the mountainwalls. “He’s stupid! Oh, he is so stupid.” The last word sneaked into a hoarse whisper and he then met the other’s looks with the same amount of dismay. “He wants us to meet him at the bottom of the mountain.”

“ _ What? _ ” Gladiolus voice cut through the hot air and he dropped his hand. “What happened to us finding him? You told him to stay where he was, didn’t you?” He was loud.

“Yes, I did! But he  _ refused _ .” Noctis returned and flashed both his arms outwards. “He just said that it was a bad idea and that he’d manage to climb down himself.” He brought his hand up at the notion of another question from Ignis. “And no, I did not get a ‘ _ why’ _ .”

There’s a pause and Noctis looked out over the edge of the haven. Despite the bright sun in the sky, drops of orange filling the blue around it, he feared for Prompto all the same. He knew that he must be more hurt than he let on when they talked. Noctis thought of him bleeding out, alone and cold, and he clenched his fists in a sense of even stronger urgency.

“We need to move.” He stated and they both turned.

Ignis readjusted his glasses as he looked at him, put a hand on his hip with a nod then. “Yes,” He looked to Gladiolus besides him and then back again. “I’m afraid that we can do nothing else as I would not expect him to remain where he was told.”

“That idiot..” A whisper broke the quiet air, to then be followed by a shout. “Alright! Pack up and then we’ll go.” Gladiolus concluded with a hasty voice, moved away towards the tent and kitchen as the other two remained shortly. Ignis shared a lingering look with Noctis before he too walked up to assist with the demolishment of their camp.

As Noctis helped then too, he wondered what had happened to Prompto’s beloved camera with a pit in his stomach.

 

  (At the same time)

The shining sun above him seemingly laughed as he slid down the wall once more. Prompto hit the unforgiving ground with a cry, his fall only softened by his now torn right hand. Small peebles rolled down to his feet and he watched them as they stopped by his shoes as he sat still. He shaked his head and rose again, the belt from his camera held his left arm secured to his side and the deep hole looked down at him.

He could feel the warm cuts in his hand as he stepped towards the black mountain wall. The rock digging into them then as he took his foot to an indention, spoke in a weak voice, reassured himself, and leaped. A breath caught in his throat as his fingers barely touched the edges of the sun rays, then let out as his jump reached its limit and he fell down.

A scream filled the space and dirt the cuts, he tumbled backwards to the ground and the belt shifted together with a fiery pain through his arm and abdomen. Prompto bit his tongue as the peebles came to a stop with him, swore the pain as it settled down to the manageable. He simply sat and he had to swallow as his nose reminded him of the smell of rotten flesh, of the blood that accompanied him.

He’s forced to realize that he could not reach the hole. The light lay too high for his damaged body and wavering mind. A broken sob was turned away as he looked around, studied the cavern. No small rocks seemed to be of help. No big rocks seemed to be loose and then abled to be used as a stepping stone.

“This is fine,” He whispered to the putrid smell. “I’ll manage.” Then with an even lower, stubborn tone.

But despite his own promise, his mind remained blank. He laid his eyes on the body, on the red, and his guts twisted within moments. He turned away again and his eyelids stung at the unsteady light, at his imagined salvation, and the high cut in the rough bedrock. He shifted to his knees, crawled forwards then over the sharp lines of the dark dirt. Slowly rose as he reached his climbing wall, the protruding rocks and deep dents, the mockers of his failures. He put his hand to it, patted it twice as he challenged it and looked upwards. The jagged edges of the hole greeted him with the contained sunlight and he thought to feel it at the tips of his fingers as he brought his outstretched arm to it. He stared at it, imposed it then with a idea. Perhaps a stupid one, once more. Certainly a repugnant one.

He retracted his arm and stepped back, swallowed his fear with the first step towards the body of the sabretusk. The stench immediately doubled and Prompto had to swallow the vile bile that threatened by the surface of his mouth, even harder then as he reached it.

The gnawing anguish was not easily dispelled and a sad, pitiful cry escaped him as he crouched by its chest. He feared that the body would twist, jerk into motion and jump at his throat with vigor. Nevertheless did he slowly bring his hand to its ribs, pressing down hard with all of his bodyweight rested on his arm. The thin but rough skin and the strong bones remained unmoving and Prompto brought a fits down to it next, bashed it with his split knuckles. It bounced back and he confirmed its sturdiness with a nod, stiffened slightly at his own hizzed breathing. He could not stop his eyes from moving to the upper parts of its body as he retracted his arm and reluctantly did he study the remains then.

Puddles of red blood lay by its collapsed head, one melting into black and containing a yellow, beady eye. Its teeth was scattered around it, a chunk of grey gum and incisors besides a pulp of an unknown organ.  _ The brain _ , Prompto thought then as darker lines of blood indicated its pattern. It seemed to boil against the dirty ground, sizzles were present in it together with the white bones and the black tongue. The latter sprawled in the like of a silent scream.

He turned his head back then, the plain action turned his vision blurred for a moment, and he rose and moved down to the smaller lower parts of its body. He grabbed hold of its short tail with his one and only working hand, glanced back at the hole and his goal, pulled at his makeshift stepping stone then with haste.

His hand slipped of despite the rough skin, the trails of blood abling the friction lost on him. He almost fell backwards as he lost the grip and the stinking sabretusk remained. He swore as he regained his footing, quieted down as he brought it back into his grasp. He pulled again, stretched the bones to their full extent before they fell to the ground once more. Prompto dropped with it, whined as he received the impact and the strain on his wounds.

He could not get a solid grip, the tail persisted with its slipperiness as he tried one more time.  _ The body is too heavy _ . Loud breaths filled the cavern as he moved upwards, grabbed at its ribs and back’s horns. 

“Come on,” He said and pulled. “ _ Come on, come on, come on _ .” Repeated it as his hand slid off. His arm ached as he fell to the ground and he swore with the fall. He had to swallow a loud sob as dirt and small rocks dug into the deepening cuts of his hand, another one then as all of it burned with the embers of a blue fire.  _ It’s too heavy _ , he thought as he separated his fingers and stared at his palm. He glanced between flaps of skin, the firey flesh beneath and the corpse of the sabretusk, laughed flatly at its similarities. He turned once more towards the corpse, held his gaze at the red at his slow shifting movement. An unmoving eye rolled to the side as he crawled up to its scraps of a head. 

For a moment he looked at it, forced the acid taste down his throat and the fear with it, at the next he dug his fingers into the hole at its severed neck, took hold of its rugged and cut spine just poking through the thick meat. Blood covered his fingers expectedly, still rather lukewarm, sticky all the same as he coiled his hand around the thin bone and pulled. The new grip burned his hand yet, a mixture of body fluids and foreboding infections at the open wounds, at his gulp and rejected vomit. Although, the sabretusk moved with him.

The scraping sound echoed against the walls, some disappeared out of the hole and were no more, and a thriumpic gasp joined it soon after. The bulky mass moved as fast as his body could manage it, spreaded pieces of rocks slowed it down further, the ache of his arm then too with his frustration. Narrow lines of dusty, rectangular light broke as Prompto moved through the sun rays together with the corpse, reappeared as he reached the high wall. He quickly relaxed his hand and let go, the layers of blood hid beneath his fingernails and covered his hand too in its stead. A breath escaped him, harshly, as he backed away from it all, looked at it in its entirety. The sabretusk lay against the mountain wall, tucked between the spiky ground and the vast black blending into grey.

The sunrays seemed to shine weaker, he thought, the lit up grey barely covered a forth of the wall and with a new set of urgency Prompto stepped forwards. A hollow sound echoed around him as he brought his foot to the sabretusk’s chest, another as he brought his other to it too. His right arm shot outwards at the slight falter of his balance, and he hissed through his teeth as the same reflex affected his motionless left. An increasing ache went through the whole of it at the act, but he sunk his teeth into his tongue in ignorance and gripped at the rocks. With his balance restored he dared to glance upwards towards the light, towards his ‘way out’ and goal. He shifted his feet against the daemon’s chest, tugged one of them between a pair of ribs for a solid footing. As solid as it could be. And he reached, for the warmth of the light, for its salvation. His fingers just touched it, and then there were a grip at its edge.

Prompto swallowed at the contact, and together with his iron stained saliva the momentarily joy went down. He wasted nothing as the light seemingly dimmed further then and he leaped, dug into the sharpness of his grip and let his feet leave the chest in the search for indentions. His right foot found one, the deep one his hand had earlier used and he pulled as he bent his leg and folded his body together. He stretched his leg then, found a new dent with his other as he rose higher. The light burned his tired eyes and he had to stop himself from turning away, remain all of his focus on the last dreadful bit.

A gasp ran through the open hole as he dared to move his hand further into it, as he gripped at a protruding rock and brought his knee up over the edge too. Pants surrounded him and a harsh cry then too at the bend of his abdomen, at the warm, sticky blood that started to soak the edge as he scraped against it. He pulled himself forwards, fought to not let the tears spill as small rocks came loose and dug into the deep bite marks, into the snarls of his injuries.  As he’d managed to move all of his body, cracked like fragile porcelain, over the edge though; he weeped.

 Prompto lay on his back. He avoided rolling over to his left side, barley, and now all he could do was to stare. Every inch of him ached, pained with rows of quick thuds and he dried his eyes with the back of his hand, turned his head around to look towards the opening of the short tunnel he resided in. The light welcomed him greatly, a million times more than the rotten smell that still lingered onto him; onto the torn fabric of his clothes, to his broken and open skin. He could feel the dried blood crack as he then moved, the pain spreading as he crawled towards the light of the sun.

He’s going to be fine, right?

And as he thought that, a bleeding sun welcomed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for reading!
> 
> If you would like to read more please do leave kudos, comment! and so on. Just you reading this gives me the motivation to keep writing though.
> 
> I really hope that the ending didn't seem rushed. Let's hope. 
> 
> Also, the explanation of the "mocking emoticon": Just a small idea that Prompto had complained about Ignis' formal contact names (like, he named him "Iggster") and a while later Ignis had added a simple ":)" to Prompto's name to make him happy :'') (it worked)
> 
> And the line "He's going to be fine, right?" is a throw-back to one of the very first ones in this fic: "They're gonna be fine, right?"  
> (how sneaky of me)
> 
> And I hope that you'll stay till the next chapter! And that you're enjoying this maybe even a little more than me ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! It gets better.. and worse.
> 
> (and why did i decide to write in past-sense, it is not easy to write like jeez.)
> 
> And please do read my upcoming fic "Black Smoke"! Noctis centered and pretty angsty. It will be at least.


End file.
